Immuno-informatics approach for multi-epitope vaccine designing against SARS-CoV-2

Abstract

The novel Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has set the fatality rates ablaze across the world. So, to combat this disease, we have designed a multi-epitope vaccine from various proteins of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with an immuno-informatics approach, validated in silico to be stable, non-allergic and antigenic. Cytotoxic T-cell, helper T-cell, and B-cell epitopes were computationally predicted from six conserved protein sequences among four viral strains isolated across the world. The T-cell epitopes, overlapping with the B-cell epitopes, were included in the vaccine construct to assure the humoral and cell-mediated immune response. The beta-subunit of cholera toxin was added as an adjuvant at the N-terminal of the construct to increase immunogenicity. Interferon-gamma inducing epitopes were even predicted in the vaccine. Molecular docking and binding energetics studies revealed strong interactions of the vaccine with immune-stimulatory toll-like receptors (TLR) -2, 3, 4. Molecular dynamics simulation of the vaccine ensured in vivo stability in the biological system. The immune simulation of vaccine evinced elevated immune response. The efficient translation of the vaccine in an expression vector was assured utilizing in silico cloning approach. Certainly, such a vaccine construct could reliably be effective against COVID-19.